Chargers vs. Rams Preseason GDT and Post Game Discussion

[gzubeck]

After watching this post game presser all I could think about is what the hell did we have last year?

[CivilBolt]

After watching this post game presser all I could think about is what the hell did we have last year?

Staley seems like he took mental note of all the plays that happened the entire game in O, D and ST. In terms of tactics, Lynn was playing checkers last year. Staley is already playing at a grandmaster chess level in his first preseason game. If Staley can prepare his team this well with mostly backups, I can’t wait to see how well the 1s will do.

[BoltUp InLA]

You have to like the very authentic energy generated in that clip. Staley’s ability to connect with players, the coaching staff, and even the media is so impressive to see. I think the Chargers may have a game changer now with Staley.

[Topcat]

You have to like the very authentic energy generated in that clip. Staley’s ability to connect with players, the coaching staff, and even the media is so impressive to see. I think the Chargers may have a game changer now with Staley.

Yep...cool that Staley called up John Brannon, a rook who is on the rise, for recognition on that pick in the EZ...very cool...

[Velo]

I was skeptical about the middle and bottom of this last year's draft class. It's looking *way* better than I imagined, particularly Rumph and Rountree.

Rountree doesn't have elite speed but he gets busy with it quickly. Runs like a man with a serious idea. That said everything I saw tonight, and everything I've heard about camp suggests there's little running room for the backs--even w/first teamers. We might want to look at a mauler at guard in the next draft. Open some lanes in those clogged freeways! Pass protection should be much improved, but we'll want more for the run game down the road.

Rountree doesn't have elite top end speed, but he has a good initial burst, he gets to the hole in a hurry, and that is what you want in a running back. He can also break tackles and has the moves to make people miss. I think he's going to be a keeper.

[dmac_bolt]

Rountree doesn't have elite top end speed, but he has a good initial burst, he gets to the hole in a hurry, and that is what you want in a running back. He can also break tackles and has the moves to make people miss. I think he's going to be a keeper.

Very nice debut - you could be right and if we found a real compliment to Eke, that will change the offense equation significantly. Kelly is just a guy, JJ is better but not a game changer and not a power back, never mind not reliable. He can’t power inside in short yard situations against 8 in the box,

Roundtree flashed both inside power + acceleration thru a hole. That power is the compliment needed to Eke that is not delivered by Kelly or Jackson. We need to see him in the first quarter against better defensive talent but its exciting.

Palmer killed it
Samuel looked good
Slater was a NFL grade level OT stud
Roundtree looked better than expected
Rumph flashed maniacal energy and speed

thats a lot of exciting out of one draft for LAC, not even counting some UDFAs and other draft picks which showed flashes. #fingerscrossed, TT has not been over-performing in drafts - hope this is the change we have been waiting for!

[TexanBeerlover]

Rountree doesn't have elite top end speed, but he has a good initial burst, he gets to the hole in a hurry, and that is what you want in a running back. He can also break tackles and has the moves to make people miss. I think he's going to be a keeper.

Now that, virtually everyone, has figured out how to spell Rountree (all it took was his first pre-season game, seen these funny spelling mistakes last for years with some players) we can appreciate TT spending a 6th rd. Selection on him. Larry has good game speed, nothing great, just good instincts, vision and balance. This leads to something Justin Jackson never had, durability or Kelly for that matter. Think Jackson’s groin gets him his settlement/walking papers and Kelly a cut. They’ve both had chances to prove otherwise now time to be decisive and move on. I like to keep more DB’s and DL players. Going to have to pouch another OT from somewhere or trade. Pipkins is trash.

[Bearded14YourPleasure]

Good job by Lombardi and the offense for the first time out. Staley briefly mentioned the pace of his calling, which is even more important with the constantly changing personnel groups. No delay of game calls with all those moving pieces, 2 different QBs, and his first time calling plays since his Detroit days is pretty dang good.

Really impressed with all the drafted rookies. Slater looked head and shoulders better than any of the other OTs that played. Asante had a bad read on the short out by Atwell that he turned upfield but was solid otherwise and did a good job in ru support. Palmer just gets open, want to see him operate a bit further downfield but that quick separation is a great sign. McKitty didn’t get involved in the pass game but had some solid blocking, the play he gave up pressure he had pushed the defender way upfield Chase just dropped way too far back. Rumph applied a lot of pressure, really enjoyed him on the outside to inside stunts. Miscommunication about his ST role gave them a free 1st on the punt but otherwise great showing on ST as well. Jaimes looked like the best OL after Slater, very solid showing. Niemann didn’t do anything spectacular but was around the ball consistently and didn’t give up any big plays. Did pretty good covering the flats in the passing game as well. Rountree was obviously very impressive, his acceleration stood out to me the most, hopefully he gets some first half reps next week. Just 1 PS game but it certainly looks like this coaching staff is developing the young players, which we haven’t seen much of in recent years.

[Xenos]

Popper’s Ram’s preseason observations:

https://theathletic.com/2770977/2021/08/15/twelve-takeaways-from-the-chargers-preseason-victory-over-the-rams/

The Chargers defeated the Rams, 13-6, on Saturday night at SoFi Stadium to open their preseason.

Here are my takeaways.

1. Most of the Chargers’ starting offense did not dress for this game, including quarterback Justin Herbert, wide receivers Keenan Allenand Mike Williams, tight end Jared Cook, running back Austin Ekeler and offensive linemen Bryan Bulaga, Corey Linsley, Matt Feiler and Oday Aboushi. Still, there was plenty to glean in terms of the style and pace of offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi’s new system. With Chase Daniel starting under center, the Chargers came out on the opening possession of the game with a notable tempo. The starting offensive linemen — LT Rashawn Slater, LG Brenden Jaimes, C Scott Quessenberry, RG Tyree St. Louis, RT Storm Norton — moved quickly and decisively to the line of scrimmage after breaking the huddle. The play clock was rarely dipping below 13 seconds before Daniel snapped the ball. And the frequent substitutions and formation changes occurred seamlessly. This is a staple of the Saints’ scheme — what Sean Payton calls “blitzing the defense.” It was encouraging that the Chargers’ second-team players were able to bring this to life on the field without any hiccups. Daniel engineered a 20-play field-goal drive on that first series of the game.

“There’s a lot of ways to define tempo,” coach Brandon Staley said after the game. “You can create tempo with literally how fast you play, and then you can create it by going in and out of personnel groupings, which can apply a lot of pressure on the defense. … We wanted to make that a big emphasis for this preseason, making sure that we have a clean operation. And sometimes that can be challenging with how many (players) you’re working with. But I was pleased offensively with how we played tonight.”

2. The Chargers had a similar number of starters sitting out on defense. Edge rusher Joey Bosa, safety Derwin James, defensive linemen Justin Jones, Jerry Tillery and Linval Joseph, linebacker Kenneth Murray and cornerback Chris Harris all did not dress. The starting defense set up as: Kyler Fackrell and Uchenna Nwosu at edge; Christian Covington, Breiden Fehoko and Joe Gaziano at defensive line; Drue Tranquill and Kyzir White at linebacker; Nasir Adderley and Alohi Gilman at safety; and Asante Samuel Jr. and Michael Davis at cornerback. Kemon Hall came on as the slot corner in the nickel package. That starting group played two series. White and Tranquill were the standouts. Tranquill came on a blitz on second-and-12 on the Rams’ first offensive series and crushed quarterback Devlin Hodges, forcing an incompletion. On the next play, White sniffed out a screen and dropped Rams running back Jake Funk for a 5-yard loss.

“Those guys did a really good job in the first quarter directing traffic for our team, playing with good energy,” Staley said of White and Tranquill. “It was good for them to get out there as a combination.”

3. With the Chargers’ three defensive line starters sitting out, I was really impressed with how the depth defensive linemen played in this game, particularly Fehoko, Gaziano and Forrest Merrill. All three players are in a fierce battle for a roster spot, and they showed up in this game. Fehoko had a crucial run stuff on third-and-2 early in the third quarter, shedding a block before penetrating the backfield. That brought on the Rams’ punt team. Fehoko also had a pressure on a third-and-goal in the fourth quarter that led to a Donte Vaughn pass breakup. Gaziano had back-to-back pressures early in the third quarter, one on second down that led to a Chris Rumph sack and one on third down that forced Rams quarterback Bryce Perkins to scramble short of the first. And early in the fourth quarter, on first-and-goal from the 2, Merrill stood up Rams running back Raymond Calais for a tackle for loss.

“Those guys really played physically in the run game,” Staley said of this trio of defensive linemen. “I’ve got a lot of respect for that team and how they run the football. They’re one of the premier running teams in the NFL. … I thought those guys were physical, and that was our goal tonight, was to be a line-of-scrimmage team.”

The Chargers held the Rams running backs to 2.47 yards per carry on the night. The linebackers and edge rushers, of course, contributed to that success. Rookie linebacker Nick Niemann shed blockers on several occasions to make open-field tackles on running backs, showcasing his strength and athleticism. He led the Chargers with seven tackles.

4. We got our first live-action look at the Chargers’ revamped special teams units under coordinator Darius Swinton, and the results were mixed. Let’s start with the good: The kickoff coverage unit was outstanding. The Rams’ average starting field position of kickoff returns was the 18.5-yard line. Twice they started inside the 15. Running back Darius Bradwell, edge rusher Emeke Egbule and Rumph all had spark-plug tackles in kickoff coverage. The energy and speed were evident in these units. The punt and punt return units were less pretty. The Chargers were called for 12 men on the field on a punt return in the third quarter that gifted the Rams a first down. Later in the same series, the Chargers were scrambling to get an 11th man on the field. The coverage unit gave up 67 yards on four punt returns, including a 46-yarder in the second quarter.

On the substitution mishaps on punt return, Staley said: “It’s a tough job on special teams in the preseason with guys being in and out. It’s a really tough job. Really tough.” The coaching staff had shut down Rumph for special teams at halftime, but he was still going to play on defense. Rumph stayed on the field for that punt early in the third quarter. Hence the extra man. Staley said this miscommunication was “my fault, our fault.”

Staley said that he was “really excited” about the kickoff coverage. He added: “Overall, our punt coverage unit needs to be better.”

Ty Long had punts for 62 and 60 yards and appears to be in the driver’s seat for that spot on the 53-man.

Tristan Vizcaino was the lone Chargers kicker to attempt a field goal, both of which came in the first half. He hit from 21 and 38 yards. Michael Badgley kicked one extra point, in the second half, and made it. Vizcaino is leading this competition based on his body of work this summer.

5. Rookie running back Larry Rountree had a great game, rushing for 63 yards on eight carries, including a 25-yard run — the longest play of the game for either team — on a fourth-and-1. He bounced outside to the left and made a smooth cut to break into the open field. The Chargers scored their only touchdown of the game on this drive. Bradwell found the end zone on a second-and-goal from the 1. Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley were in the game at running back before Rountree.

6. Wide receiver Joe Reed did not see the field on offense until 2:56 remained in the third quarter.

7. Jackson left the game with a groin injury. Long snapper Cole Mazza left the game with a shoulder injury. Staley did not have an update on either player after the game.

8. Linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga had an up-and-down night. He got beat by Trishton Jackson on a double move in the red zone for a touchdown in the second quarter. He also got called for a hold in the third quarter. On the positive side, Ogbongbemiga showed off his physicality and downhill play style on a blitz early in the fourth quarter, pancaking Calais before getting pressure on Hodges.

9. John Brannon picked off Hodges on a fourth-and-goal from the 5-yard line early in the fourth quarter. Hodges escaped pressure and rolled to his right. He tried to find Jeremiah Haydel in the front corner of the end zone on a scramble drill. Brannon made a great read and jumped the route for a one-handed pick. Brannon leads the Chargers with three interceptions in training camp. Now he leads the Chargers with their first interception of the preseason. “Really excited for him because he’s been working so hard,” Staley said. “He’s got so far to go, but his heart, his spirit is right, and we’re going to keep coaching him.”

10. Trey Pipkins replaced Slater at left tackle after the first series and played most of the game. He was inconsistent in pass protection, something that has become a trend in Pipkins’ career so far. “I saw a lot of good things and then I saw some things that we need to correct,” Staley said. “There were a couple times where we were leaky in protection.”

11. Staley said that Chargers director of football research Aditya Krishnan, who heads the organization’s analytics department, was in the coaches’ box and involved in game-management decisions. This will continue in the regular season.

12. Josh Palmer led the Chargers with six catches, all of which came in the first half. His route-running, strength and size make him a threat in the short-to-intermediate area of the field, especially on third downs. “He played out there tonight exactly how he’s practiced for us since he got here in the springtime,” Staley said.

[Topcat]

Rountree doesn't have elite top end speed, but he has a good initial burst, he gets to the hole in a hurry, and that is what you want in a running back. He can also break tackles and has the moves to make people miss. I think he's going to be a keeper.

Yep...agree...Rountree does have some shiftiness, which Kelley doesn't have...

[Ghost of Quacksaw]

You have to like the very authentic energy generated in that clip. Staley’s ability to connect with players, the coaching staff, and even the media is so impressive to see. I think the Chargers may have a game changer now with Staley.

John Brannon will be on an adrenaline rush for the next two months! lol

[Topcat]

John Brannon will be on an adrenaline rush for the next two months! lol

"Ballhawk" Brannon looks impressive...Campbell could be on the bubble now...